Glucosamine
Re-evaluating Using Dietary Supplements to Treat Knee Osteoarthritis Pain
Many forms of dietary supplements have been used to treat knee osteoarthritis pain. However, there have been some new studies with information that could challenge what was previously believed to be a great solution. Two of these dietary supplements include Chondroiton and Glucosamine.
This information is based on a long term, two year study. It included patients that ranged from moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis pain. During this two year study, half of the patients were given both Chondroiton and Glucosamine, while the others were given a placebo. The outcome of the studies indicates that there weren’t any changes in the amount of pain these patients endured due to the use of these products.
While many of the patients did see some improvements in the reduction of pain they experienced, the studies can’t give any reason to believe that it was due to the use of these dietary supplements. That is because almost as many patients in the placebo group had the reduced pain as well.
Before you use dietary supplements for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis pain, it is important for you to carefully evaluate all of the pros and cons. If you have been taking them, you many decide to discontinue that practice upon re-evaluation of the value of dietary supplements for your knee osteoarthritis problem. There are some great treatments out there to consider including exercise and physical therapy. If you stop using your knees, then you will have more pain.
To help you get the best results from osteoarthritis knee pain treatment, you need to talk to your doctor. Early intervention can help to prevent it from progressing to a more painful situation. If you are overweight, you need to do your best to eliminate the extra pounds. You need to be committed to getting your body moving and to stretching daily.
For severe knee osteoarthritis pain, your doctor may require you to come in periodically for injections into the knees. They may recommend that you alternate the use of heat and cold packs on them too. In the most severe cases, surgery may be the only solution to help get rid of the pain in the joints.
However, it doesn’t seem that the use of popular dietary supplements including Chondroiton and Glucosamine are the methods that are going to help. The good news is that these particular types of dietary supplements don’t have any side effects. They also don’t cause any problems for the body. Yet they can be expensive and that is where some patients that have been taking them will be frustrated with the results of this particular study.
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/060210.htm
http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/osteoarthritis/osa_treatment.html
Are Medications to Eliminate Knee Osteoarthritis Pain Effective?
Knee osteoarthritis can be very painful due to the joint pain that comes with it. For many years, people have been able to get a variety of products over the counter to deal with that pain. Those that found them to be ineffective may have gotten a prescription for medication from their doctor. Such medication isn’t cheap, however, and it can come with an array of side effects.
There are some new studies out now that show that traditional medication for the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis is not effective. This information is based on long-term studies where some of the patients were given a placebo and the others were given a type of pain medication. That medication may have been glucosamine, chondroitin, or Celecoxib.
The study lasted for two years and included patients with both mild knee osteoarthritis pain and severe levels of pain. Those patients given a placebo for the duration of the study didn’t have any more pain than those that were given any of the above mentioned medications. It didn’t matter if those medications were over-the-counter products or prescription medications.
Many medical professionals, though, aren’t in agreement with the findings of these studies. As a result, they continue to encourage their patients to use these types of medications. It is up to you to be an advocate for your own health. There are some people that feel such medications have helped them. How is that possible based on the scientific evidence that says that those medications are ineffective?
There are a couple of possibilities. For many individuals, it can simply be mind over matter. The fact that they think that they have taken medication to reduce knee osteoarthritis pain means that they feel better. It can also be that they are doing other things in conjunction with the use of the pain medication. For example, they may be getting more physical exercise which lowers the swelling and joint pain.
Therefore, they think it is partially due to the medication that they experience less pain. The reality of is that they would be feeling just as good without it. Since some people do claim that such medications have helped them, though, you will continue to see those testimonials on products that are being marketing to people who suffer with knee osteoarthritis pain.
The results of this study are frustrating for those individuals that do suffer from pain due to knee osteoarthritis. Many patients become upset to learn that they have been spending money month after month on medications that were not helping them. They also have had to deal with various side effects due to taking these types of medication.
There is still ongoing research dedicated to knee osteoarthritis. New medications are being tested. Hopefully there is one of them that will prove to be effective. The goal of such research is to offer individuals with this type of health concern a viable solution that they can count on. By doing so, they can also have a better overall quality of life and eliminate much of the suffering that comes from knee osteoarthritis pain.
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/060210.htm
Can Glucosamine Eliminate Lower Back Pain?
Glucosamine is a medication that offers many health benefits, including reducing joint pain. One of the reasons that many people take glucosamine, though, is for lower back pain. However, recent studies have shown glucosamine isn’t a very effective treatment for lower back pain at all. This news is frustrating for many individuals who are in a six-month program of taking this supplement for that specific purpose. Many medical professionals have been promoting such a program to help those that have chronic back pain due to arthritis. When you suffer from lower back pain, it can diminish your overall quality of life. It can be hard to sit, stand, sleep, and take part in many of the activities that you once loved.
The good news, though, is that glucosamine does help with arthritis pain in the joints. Most people that take it for lower back pain also have other areas of arthritis, so the use of the drug isn’t a complete loss. Glucosamine is very safe so even if you have been taking it for lower back pain, you haven’t done any type of damage to your body. In spite of this, many people are upset that it has been heavily promoted as a means of helping them cope with their lower back pain. They feel they have been misled rather than given accurate information.
Extensive studies over a six-month period of time show that the use of glucosamine does not do anything whatsoever to eliminate lower back pain. This same study was done with a double blind system so that participants didn’t know if they were given the drug or a placebo. At the end of the six-month period, there was no evidence to indicate that those taking glucosamine were experiencing less pain than those given the placebo.
Other studies have extended the time frame to one year. There were no indicators that lower back pain was eliminated in such instances, either. However, there are some patients who have been using this product that feel that these results are wrong. They do feel that the use of glucosamine has helped them with their lower back pain.
If you are among that group, there may be other variables in your life that are giving you those results and it is easy to be excited when you aren’t affected by the old level pain any longer. Due to such claims, there are going to be individuals who continue to promote the use of glucosamine for back pain, so it is important for you to have access to the right information so you can make informed decisions about your health.
If you suffer from lower back pain due to arthritis, do some research before turning to glucosamine for the problem. Instead, consider some other options that may give you the relief you seek. There is no reason for you to continue suffering from such pain. Talk to your doctor about medications and explore physical therapy because there are exercises you can start doing that can provide you with some relief without hurting your back in the meantime.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_100753.html
Examining the Effectiveness of the Lower Back Pain Medication Glucosamine
Finding a quality lower back pain medication that works without having to endure unpleasant side effects is very important. One type of medication is called Glucosamine and it is often prescribed to help patients cope with lower back pain. In fact, in recent years, it seems to be the number one type of medication that was being offered. Many doctors were prescribing Glucosamine for their patients in need without thinking twice.
However, there have been extensive studies that show that Glucosamine really doesn’t work to help control the pain. These studies included people that were given the drug and others who took a placebo. The results are very disappointing to those that do suffer from lower back pain. The medical community had vested a great deal of hope in this particular lower back pain medication working for their patients. Now people suffering with chronic lower back pain feel that they have been misled and they are out of good options.
This particular lower back pain medication, however, did not offer any more relief than what the people in the placebo group experienced. There have been other such studies conducted and they are all showed the same results. These studies have often been done on the same groups of volunteers for periods of up to six months. The results don’t show that their lower back pain was helped at all by the use of Glucosamine.
One of the main reasons why Glucosamine has been so popular is that it is an affordable type of medication. The other advantage of the medication is that there aren’t very many side effects while taking it. The safe and affordable nature of the drug are things that many people are interested in. However, the fact that it doesn’t work means none of that really matters.
Too often, when someone is taking a form of lower back pain medication, they find themselves are paying an exorbitant price for it. At the same time, many medications bring with them adverse side effects. With Glucosamine being one that didn’t have such problems, it was understandable why so many people with lower back pain were excited about this drug.
It is understandable why you may be looking for a lower back pain medication. However, make it clear to your doctor that you don’t want to take Glucosamine. It can be upsetting when you take a pain medication that doesn’t work for you. Lower back pain can prevent a person from being able to work or get enough sleep. It can also prevent you from enjoying time with family or social activities.
Many doctors have put a halt in their practice on offering Glucosamine to patients. What is frustrating, though, is that there really aren’t too many other options that they do have. It is hopeful though that with continued research, there will be a solution that can offer terrific relief. In the meantime patients are encouraged to look at the choices of lower back pain medication products to see if any of them may offer them some type of overall relief.